The dreadful economy has led to an increase in the number of inexpensive picture tube TVs sold. Likewise, sales of LCDs and plasmas—”dude check out my flat screen”—have flatlined. I guess people value eating and paying the rent/mortgage more than watching “My Name is Earl” in HD.
These numbers come from DisplaySearch, a research outfit that tracks and monitors the the display industry. The good ol’ picture tube was the second most popular display type for the first quarter of this year, supplanting plasma from previous quarter. The reason, of course, is that picture tube TVs are cheaper, and many consumers seem to be motivated to buy a new TV not necessarily to have the biggest and baddest TV in the neighborhood, but to get ready for the upcoming digital TV transition.
And if you’re asking yourself, “Where do they even still sell picture tubes,” may I suggest a visit to Wal-Mart? It seems the mom and pop-killing store still sells picture tubes, and is benefitting from people’s newfound thriftiness.